Books

Tuesday, February 09, 2010

I was lucky enough to be raised by parents who enjoyed reading books to their children. Today I love, love, love listening to audio books because it drums up in me the same cozy, visceral experience.

Back in 1957, actor Franchot Tone recorded an entire album of readings ~ The Jazz Age of F. Scott Fitzgerald ~ which included selections from The Great Gatsby, This Side of Paradise and The Crack-Up. I can't think of another recording that has combined a better blend of voice and words.

Franchot had the perfect, velvety, lyrical voice for such projects. While I'm glad to own this marvelous LP, selfishly, I wish he had done more of them.

Astute film buffs will recognize a further connection between Franchot and F. Scott ~ the original story/script for MGM's 1938 film Three Comrades was penned by Fitzgerald (his only screenwriting credit) and starred FT, Robert Taylor, Robert Young and Margaret Sullavan.

Special thanks to UK filmmaker and writer ClarityInWonderland who created, and alerted me to, a wonderful excerpt from this rare recording for all to enjoy! (Part II now available as well, thanks Ami!)

I started reading it soon after I got home tonight and am half-way finished already.

It covers three topics that I adore: cemeteries, ghost stories and Chitown. And then some, as stories are not limited to graveyards. They also include homes, farms, churches, asylums, parks and colleges.

The tightly written 300+ page turner is hard to put down because Scott doesn't just re-tell tales. He explores each lore and location's history, adds personal insight based on his own experiences while investigating these cases and puts everything into perspective by explaining why they're relevant.

Scott's book has a companion website; both grew out of an original documentary project, making it a multi-media experience.

What a happy surprise to meet Scott and encounter his book today. Lucky for us, Scott has recently moved here from Chicago and plans to start similiar projects focusing on Los Angeles and the Bay area ghosts.

Monday, June 23, 2008

I'd like to thank Gary Sweeney (The Midnight Palace) for inviting me to be a guest tonight on his Blog Talk Radio program, The Stroke of Midnight. The topic is one that is near and dear to my heart: telling the truth in biographies.

The goal was to discuss classic Hollywood biographies and books that have been written about the history of film - many of which are wonderfully-researched and well-written, while others seem to have been created strictly for financial gain by slandering a famous personality who can no longer defend themselves.

It was wonderful to have had the opportunity to offer my point of view as an author who has taken over a decade to research Franchot's life story in order to get the facts as straight as possible.

Sunday, August 05, 2007

Tinseltown history buffs, mark your calendars for Gregory Paul Williams' upcoming talk and slide show presentation of his splendid, award-winning 416-page book, The Story of Hollywood: An Illustrated History (BL Press, 2006) at the Burbank Public Library.

The Story of Hollywood follows Hollywood from its dusty origins
to its glorious rise to stardom. Lavishly illustrated with over 800
vintage images from the author’s private collection, the book tells the
complete story of Hollywood including its eventual decline and urban
renewal. Both the playground of stars and the boulevard of broken
dreams, Hollywood transformed American society with its motion pictures
that revolutionized the entertainment world. The Story of Hollywood brings new insights to readers. with a passion for Hollywood and its place in the history of film, radio, and television.

Greg's book was honored with an Independent Publisher Book Award (Silver, West-Pacific Best Regional Non-Fiction or Non-Fiction) earlier this year.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Born and raised near the Hollywood sign, Greg’s interest in Hollywood’s history began when he wrote The Story of Hollywood, a book about the neighborhood where he grew up. His connection to Hollywood goes beyond an interest in its history, though. A puppeteer and a puppet designer in the entertainment industry for 25 years, Greg's credits include "Men in Black" and "Men in Black II," "Beakman’s World," "Child’s Play 3," "Mighty Joe Young," "Pee Wee’s Playhouse," and "The Showbiz Show with David Spade." He also wrote a series of children’s books with Jim Henson based on the Muppet characters. Greg has devoted many hours to the preservation of Hollywood’s Historic District and continues to be active in the community.

Tuesday, May 15, 2007

Blondes allegedly have more fun, but you can't prove that by looking back into Hollywood history at the often tragic lives of some of that town's most notorious bombshells.

That's just what Liz Nocera set out to do in her new book out this month, Hollywood Blondes: Golden Girls of the Silver Screen (Wasteland Press, 2007) which she produced with fellow Tinseltown chronicler, Michelle Vogel.

I'd like to thank Liz, (who I learned from her photo on the back cover is a blonde, too!) is familiar to many classic film fans via her Classic Actresses at Yahoo! Groups, for kindly sending me a signed copy of her book, especially because it includes two ladies that are near and dear to my heart, Jean Harlow and Barbara Payton.

While its easy these days to find information on all of these lovely ladies online, there are folks like me who still enjoy having books to curl up with and keep on the shelf. This book fits the bill, serving as a one-stop shopping reference guide to these beauties, that packages biographies crafted from previously published materials, fan sites (including my own Jean Harlow Platinum Page), filmographies built from multiple resources and lots of images from Liz's private collection.

As a Hollywood writer myself, I was curious to know the details about Liz's journey from webmistress to published author, which I think is just as important as the material in her final product, so I posed a few questions which she answers below:

Why did you choose to showcase blondes?

The idea of writing a book about Hollywood blondes came from my desire to do a project about Carole Landis. Carole's niece Tammy is a close friend of mine and we had been talking for a couple of years about writing a book about Carole. Since E.J. Fleming had already written a wonderful biography about Carole we didn't think there would be much interest in another book devoted to her. I am also a huge fan of Marie McDonald and always wanted to write something about her. I came up with idea of a book dedicated to Hollywood blondes which would include Carole, Marie, and other great stars. I told Michelle Vogel my idea and she asked if I wanted to collaborate with her on a book.

The chapters seem to pull from a lot of different previously published books and internet resources - did you or your co-author Michelle Vogel do any original research? What new information about blondes are you offering readers?

One of the main hesitations I had about writing a book was there has already been so much written about these actresses. What made me want to do it is that I am a fan of these women and so much of what I read in books and online is trash. Our goal was to have a book where these actresses stories were all told in the most accurate and positive way possible. Readers won't get any bombshell secrets like who killed Marilyn Monroe but they will get to know what made Marilyn such an amazing person, learn about all the films she made, and see some beautiful photos of her. They will also be told the truth about all those rumors that Jayne Mansfield was decapitated, that Jean Harlow died because she was beaten by Paul Bern, and that Carole Landis was a prostitute. We are also giving readers the most in-depth look at Marie McDonald's life that has ever been written. I think the format of our book offers something different as well. Most books that feature a lot of different stars don't give you a complete filmography for each one. We wanted the book to be a research tool as well as entertaining. Also many of the photos you see in the book have never been published before.

We definitely used many published biographies and web sites as sources for our information but we tried to choose only the ones we felt were accurate. My main source of research actually came from my collection of hundreds of vintage magazines. I found so many interesting stories and quotes in the pages of Screenland and Photoplay. Carole Landis's family was also very supportive with the book and offered me some wonderful stories about her which have never been told before.

How does writing a book compare with writing a website?

Writing a book is much harder! It's a lot easier to write two paragraphs about a person's life than it is writing twenty pages. Designing web sites are something I love to do. The reasons I started the web sites are the same reasons I wanted to write the book. I wanted to pay tribute to some amazing actresses who should never be forgotten. One of the toughest things about the book is you can't go back and change it. I am constantly changing my sites and adding new things. Now that the book has been published I keep thinking of things I should have included.

How did you end up teaming with Michelle Vogel and how was the work divided, i.e. what was your process?

Michelle and I first met online several years ago and since then we have became great friends. When we first started working on the project we decided that I would write the biographies and she would write the filmographies and the introduction. The hardest part was actually choosing which actresses to include. Michelle came up with the great idea of including a trivia section and a quote from the actresses at the beginning of each chapter. She also wrote the Judy Holliday biography when I got a little overwhelmed by it. Writing the biographies took a lot longer so she was finished with her part before me. Since she has written several books before I sent her everything I wrote and she would make suggestions and add things. Even though we divided up the work, it ended up being a true collaboration. All of the pictures we used came from my collection of vintage photos.

Who is your favorite blonde?

Carole Landis is my idol! Not only was she a talented actress and a beautiful woman but she had the biggest heart in Hollywood. She was a feminist before the word was even invented. I have suffered through many of the same things Carole did in her life (endometriosis, depression, family issues) and feel like I can really understand what she was going through. When I got to know her family and saw what wonderful people they were I started to believe that one of my purposes in life was to do whatever I could to keep Carole's memory alive. It has been such a thrill to be able to tell her story and see her on the cover of our book. I'm hoping some people may buy the book because they are a fan of Jean Harlow or Lana Turner and end up discovering Carole.

Any future projects?

Yes, there are several things I am working on right now. Of course I have my three web site which keep me busy - Classic Actresses (http://www.classicactresses.com), Carole Landis Online (http://www.carolelandisonline.com), and Marie McDonald (http://www.mariemcdonald.org). I have just started writing the first draft of a full-length Marie McDonald biography and I have talked with a few publishers about it. I would love to do a sequel to our book called Hollywood Brunettes in the near future. I may also do some more projects involving Carole Landis including building a web site for her family to showcase their stories and photos. I have devoted the last year of my life to Hollywood Blondes so my first project is a long vacation in Hollywood this summer. I need to visit my friends and all my favorite blondes at Forest Lawn :-)

Thanks for the insights, Liz!

PS, next week's issue of The Globe will feature a full-page article, including photos, of Liz's book and a contest opportunity to win your own free, signed copy. Look for that issue on newsstands in just a few days, at the end of this week.

Hollywood Blondes: Golden Girls of the Silver Screen is currently available at Amazon:

Wednesday, May 09, 2007

For many years, the late film actress Barbara Payton (1927-1967) has been grist for the mill of writers who have mercilessly pummeled her in print over the sensational nosedive she took from Hollywood's glitz and glamour to its seediest backstreets and gutters.

Barbara at her best, circa 1950s

Barbara was Franchot Tone's third wife, if only for 53 days, and in my years of researching his life story I've read countless sordid stories about her that have left me wanting to take a long, hot shower after I've put each of the articles or books down.

Until now.

Enter John O'Dowd's exhaustively researched and incredibly balanced biography of Barbara, Kiss Tomorrow Goodbye: The Barbara Payton Story, (BearManor Media, 2007) that, unlike the mythical white knight that failed to rush in to rescue her during the last reel of her life, finally arrives to lift the remains of her sad yet poignant legacy and present Barbara in a thoroughly engaging humanistic light.

I've known John for about eight years or more. We met because our biographical subjects intersected in the early 1950s. We've spent hours on email and the telephone discussing and debating Barbara and Franchot.

John has always been unwaivering in his respect and compassion for Barbara as a very troubled human being, something that is clearly evident in his final product. In a world where biographers seem to take joy in exposing the worst in their subject in gossipy fashion, John addresses Barbara's issues (sexual addiction, drug and alcohol abuse, mental instability) by delving deeper into the circumstances and reasons which ultimately lead her down the path of hell.

Barbara & Franchot (John O'Dowd Collection)

My introduction to Barbara came when I began digging in to the details of the headline making fist-fight that Franchot lost to Tom Neal over the affections of fickle Barbara who flip-flopped between the two men with no apparent rhyme or reason. I flat out didn't like her for that reason alone, I'm ashamed to say today.

What I learned from John and Barbara more than anyone else to-date is that no one is purely good or evil, and a person's life and personality is
never the black and white that it may appear to be on the surface. This is the beauty of John's approach to Barbara in his everyday life and in his book.

I've had the luxury of getting to know the different sides of Barbara's life and complex personality over time through my friendship with John. As my quote on the back of Barbara's biography states, she truly did carve a niche in my heart and I never expected that. I "get" her now and I think that readers of this book will have the same experience.

Major sources of information in this in-depth (over 400 pages of
text and photos) book include many people who have never gone on record
with their memories and insights about Barbara, including her brother,
sister-in-law and son, John Lee. For decades these people have refused
to discuss Barbara because of the way she was previously treated in
print, and who can blame them. Their memories are bittersweet and
often painful but incredibly enlightening.

One of the things I like best about John's presentation is that he
often lets his interviewees (which also include a former husband,
intimates, business associates, neighbors and friends) speak for
themselves. Page after page of direct quotes give you the feeling that
you're sitting in a room full of Barbara's inner circle, partaking in candid conversation. The quotes are woven together by John's
skillful, descriptive writing.

This entry is less of a review of John's book than it is a personal
endorsment. I know the blood, sweat and tears that he invested in
Barbara's story and how many times various publishers told him that a
compassionate look at her life just wouldn't sell.

Thankfully, Ben Ohmart at BearManor Media saw the need for such a book and published it. I was so impressed with BearManor's enthusiasm for Barbara's story that I asked Ben to publish my book about Franchot, too. Happily, he agreed. Look for Franchot to join Barbara at BearManor in September 2008.

Barbara's niche at Cypress View Mausoleum in San Diego, CA

Yesterday I took the day off from work to venture down to San Diego with three friends so that we could leave flowers at Barbara's cremation niche to commemorate the 40th anniversary of her passing. I took a copy of John's book with me to "show" her.

Call me crazy (and I know some people do) but we could definitely feel Barbara's presence around us. I could almost hear a faint sigh of relief echoing in the quiet, marble-lined corridor, aptly named Chapel of Promise. Someone cared enough to try to understand her and now there is the promise of new understanding from others. And isn't that what we all want and deserve?

Welcome!

LisaBurks.com

I'm a writer at large, located in Burbank, Calif., on the lookout for kitschy stories to share. My interests include cemeteries, local history, pets and other critters, and random shiny things that catch my attention. Thank you for choosing to spend a part of your online day here!